Truth, justice, selflessness. Superman meant all these things to me. To me and to any young boy Superman is more than a mere character in a Sunday strip from some long past decade. And more than just a blot of ink on a page. Because what is Superman?
One of his fellow compatriots described him as a man who “had many talents and gifts” and “one who would share them freely,” and stated merely that above all his super human abilities that we know his greatest intrinsic ability was his “power to discern what needed to be done and his unwavering courage in doing it, whatever the personal cost.”
Superman was never meant to be a special individual, but a different one. Superman was to be humble, reserved, and calm in the darkest moments and always restrain his full strength to keep himself form injuring even those that he fought against in the heat of battle.
The everyday ethics of people, influence the actions of others. Such ethics define the standards of modern culture. One would understand why a petty thief wouldn’t pause from perusing the contents of an elderly man’s pocket if he knew Superman could be watching. But, just maybe, that thief would recognize the heart of the noble Kryptonian. And perhaps if that thief were a boy he too would seek him out as a model for good.
Is it not often that we learn from example of others? Imagine the implications of it all. Great men appear in the presence of great events or great individuals. Great men rise to the occasion in times of struggle. Men like Winston Churchill rose to the challenge of leadership and represented the great maritime nation of England In WWII. Great mean like Martin Luther King Jr. made the decision to compromise his security, his reputation, and his own life to stand for a goal that meant his very being all because of predecessors of his message like Mohandas Gandhi, who in another age advocated the equal civil rights of those from any socio-economic origin. Humble men rose from humble beginnings like Abraham Lincoln who living apart from the destruction and despair of America’s Great Civil War spoke that “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.” And even perhaps Ronald Regan who established himself in the face of Communism and Totalitarianism reflects that the world needs character and a focus of justice in the world.
There is an absence of clarity, of role models, civic leaders, and outstanding members of society to lead us through the darkness of the world. Especially today, in a world where pop culture and mainstream press focuses on telling people how ugly they are or what ethics they should infringe upon to make their lives just a little better.
I could wager without pause of thought to say that I’d give anything to see the Man of Steel with us: a civic figure, an embodiment of justice, integrity, and honor, a man that showed the world what is meant to be a hero. Because whether or not Superman need or need not exist in today’s world it is up to the people of the world to accept what doctrine he stood for.
Would the presence of a man, who’s wisdom and knowledge predicated the good nature of the human spirit, build for a better world?
Would we all feel just a little bit better knowing that our lives were watched over by an almost omnipotent individual?
Perhaps we all would. I know I would. And maybe now you too will know why the World needs a Superman.
The Valley Viewpoint 